Refrigerating apparatus



H. B. HULL.

REFRIGERATING PPARATUS Fi1 ed Feb. 25. 1924 z 'sf ,es I .20F

15111;@ 1 i @ma ofFl Patented 28,

UNITED' sTirr-ls4 PATENT ori-'Ica nAhnY n. Burner nAr'roN, omo, AssrGNon, nr uEsNn ASSIGNMENTS, ro mmm Aran oonronA'rroN, A conroBA'rroN or l nnrnrenaarnro APPARATUS Application led February 25, 1984. Serial No. 694,988.

This invention relates to refrigerating apparatus and more (particularly to the type of apparatus adalirtte;e for household use having means for zing ice cubes from water 'g which is placed in trays, the trays being re. f

ceived by a cooling unit in the refrigerator cabinet. 1

One of the objects of the invention is to provide for releasing the ice cubes from the trays in which they are frozen. One manner of accomplishing this is to provide for hold-l ing an ice tray in inverted position and sub- ]ecting the same to the act-ion of a relatively warm medium in thev cabinet such as a cur- 15 rent of relatively warm air so that the cubes may melt slightly and drop from the tray into a suitable receptacle. In one of the forms of the invention shown herein the ice tray from which the cubes are-to be' released is 2o placed in inverted position and serves as a shelf to su port a tray containing water to be frozen. ere is 'a transfer ofV heat from the water `to the ice tra containing the frozen `cubes causing the cu s to melt slightly andA be released by their own Vweight from the ice tra A l I Yurther objects and advantages of the present invention will be a parent from the following description, re erencebeing had to ao the accompanying drawings, wherein a pre-fA ferred form o mbodiment oflthe present invention is clearly shown.

'Inthedrawingsr- Y` Fig. 1 is a front elevation partly broken as away of a refrigerator cabinet containing' a refrigerating machine equipped with the present invention. f

Fig. 2 is a side view of thecooling unit shown in Fig. 1 this view being taken along o the line 2-2 of ig. 1.

Fig. 3 isa fragmentary view of a refrlgerator cabinet showing a cooling unit employa modified frm ofthe invention. Y mii 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 3. A RegerringV to the drawings, the refrigerator cabinet shown in Fig. 1 includesa coolmgchamber 21 and a food -chamber 22 and a machinery chamber 23. In chamber 23. 6.0 there is located a refrigerating unit 24which` verted shown 1n Fig. 2. The to 1mmiesurn '28. Unit 28 includes a brine tank29 which is cooled by theevaporation of therefrigerant in the evaporator 27 The brine tank 29 is provided with recesses adapted to rel ceive one or more ice t'rays 30 which are` di-` vided bysuitable partitions so'that water in the trays will be frozen into a plurality of ice cubes 31 (see Fig. 2). The partition 32 which divides the food chamber 22 from the cooling chamber 31 is provided 'with o enings 33 and 34. During the operation o the cooling apparatus the cold air descends from the cooling chamber 31 through the aperture 33 causing warmer air to enter the cooling chamberl through the aperture 34.

The food chamber is closed by and 36, and the cooling chamber 21 by a separate door 37 indicated by dot and dash lines in- Fig. 1. Consequently access to the cooling chamber may be had without opening the food chamber directly to outside atmosphere. In order to facilitate the removal of the ice cubes from. the trays advanta is taken of the entrance of warm air into ts cooling chamber 21 'through the opening 34. The brine tank 29l is so formed that it may susort an ice tray 30 in .inverted position a )acent the opening 34 so as to subj ect the ice in the tray to the action of the warm air enflange of the ang e iron 40. In this manner includes a motor driven compressor and condoors 35 a shelf is provided for placing thereon in mosition one of the ice trays 30 as brine tank'29 and the top e ges of the bracksurface of the etsv 41 extend above the lower edge of theA movement of the tray 30. Under the tray 30v there is located a shelf 43 made of wire 'screen material having a flange 44 along its lower'edge. This shelf is downwardly 1nclined toward the door 37 ofthe cabinet. As

' tray 30, as inverted, so as to'limit sidewise ing on this chute will drain from a lip 46 i upon the partitions 32 and can be carried away through a drain pipe 47.

In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the brine tank 60 in which are located the refrigerant coils 61 connected with the evaporator 27, is in the form of a hollow rectangular tubular member including a central recess 62 bounded by side walls 63, a top wall 64 and a bottom wall 65. The side walls 63 carry angle irons 66 adapted to support an ice tray 30 in inverted position, and one at 30" in normal position. The side walls 33 are spaced so that sidewise movement of of the trays is limited in order that the tra s will not be disengaged accidentally from t e brackets 66. The bottom wall 65 -may support another tray 30". Between the brackets 66 and the tray 30", the side walls 33 support an ice cube receiving shelf 70 provided with a flange 71 at the lower edge of the shelf 70 which is adjacent the door 37 of the cooling chamber 21, as in the case of the shelf 42l shownin Fig. 2. Below the screen shelf 70 there is located a drain board or chute 72 which is inclined toward the rear wall of the refrigerator cabinet and is provided with a lip 73 from which water drains upon the partition 33 and is carried away 'by suitable drain pipes.

In order to use the invention shown in Figs. 3 and 4, water is placed in one of the ice trays and this tray is laced upon the wall 65 of the brine tank. After the water therein has been frozen into cubes it is placed in inverted position indicated at 30 in Fig. 4. In order to loosen the ice cubes 31 in the tray 30, a tray 30Il containing water is placed upon the tray 30. On account of the transfer of heat from the water in 30a to the ice in tray 30, the ice cubes will be loosened and fall upon the screen shelf 70. Water dripping from the tray 30 and the ice cubes on the shelf 71 will'be caught by the drain board 72 and be conducted away. Itis apparent that the shelves 43 and 70 in the structures are exposed to a relatively colder temperature than the trays when said trays are in the ice releasing position. Conse uently after the ice cubes have been released rom the tray they will be exposed to a relativel colder zone and Awill not melt appreciably, 1f at all.

The advantages of this invention are apparent since the operation of the refrigeratmg apparatus is used to loosen the ice cubes, therefore, the user does not need to resort to the use of an ice pick or the practice of placin the tray in water in order to loosen the cu es.

While the form of embodiment of the present invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form it is to be understood that other forms migh within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is as'follows:

1. Refrigeratinflr apparatus comprising, in combination, a cabinet, a cooling unit therein, means associated with the cooling unit for holding a receptacle of substance to be frozen, and means for holding the tray in inverted position and subjecting the same to a relatively Warm medium in the cabinet whereby the substance therein will be loosened and fall from the tray, means for receiving the substance dropped from said tray and means for draining the Water therefrom.

2. Refrigerating apparatus comprising, in combination, a cabinet, a cooling unit therein, means associated with the cooling unit for holding a tray of water to be frozen, brackets carried by the cooling unit for supporting the tray in an inverted position in a current of warmer air circulating adjacent the top of the cooling unit, and means supported by the unit for rceiving the ice falling from the tray.

3. Refrigerating apparatus comprising a cabinet having a food compartment and a cooling compartment, a wall therebetween having anopening to permit circulation of warm air from the food compartment to the cooling compartment, and mea-ns in the cooling compartment for supporting a tray of frozen substance in an inverted position adjacent the aforesaid opening in the wall and in the path ofthe circulating air.

4. In a refrigerating apparatus comprising, in combination, a cabinet, a cooling unit therein, means associated with the cooling unit for holding a receptacle of substance to be frozen in a relatively cold pofrtion of the cabinet, and for holding the receptacle in inverted position in a relatively warmportion of the cabinet whereby the frozen substance therein will be loosened and fall from the receptacle, and storage means disposed in a relatively cold portion of said cabinet for receiving the frozen substance as it falls from said receptacle.

5. Refrigerating' apparatus comprising, in combination, a cabinet, a cooling unit therein, means associated with the cooling unit for holding a receptacle of material to be frozen, and means carried by the cooling unit for holding the receptaclein inverted position and in heat absorbing relation to a relatively Warm air current in the cabinet Whereby the ice therein will be loosened and fall from the tray, said last named means being v accessible for manipulating said receptacle l from the frontof said cabinet. 4 f

6. In a refrigerating apparatus'comprising in combination, a cabinet, cooling means therein, a receptacle adapted to contain a substance to be frozen, means for holding the receptacle in intimate heat exchange relation With the cooling means for freezing the substance in said receptacle and for holding the receptacle in an inverted position in. heat receiving relation to a .relatively Warm medium Within the cabinet for releasing the substance from the receptacle, and storage means in intimate heat exchange relation With the cooling means for receiving the frozen substance as it is released from the receptacle.

7. In a refrigerating apparatus comprising in combination, a cabinet, cooling means therein, a receptacle adapted to contain a substance to be frozen, means for holding the receptacle in intimate'heat exchange relation with the coolingmeans for freezing the substance in said receptacle, ,means especially constructed for-holding the receptacle in inverted position in heat receiving relation to a relatively warm medium Within the cabinet for releasing the substance from the recep tacle, and storage means below the last means and in intimate heat exchange relation with the cooling means for receiving the fro-zen substance as it is released from the receptacle.

8. Refrigerating apparatus comprising in combinationa cabinet, a cooling unit therein, means associated with the cooling unit for holding a receptacle containing material to be frozen and holding the receptacle in inverted position in' heat absorbing relation with a relatively Warm medium'in the cabinet to release the frozen material from the receptacle, and means in the cabinet for receiving the frozen material falling from the receptacle, said means being disposed below said receptacle a distance at least as great as the depth of the receptacle.

9. Refrigerating apparatus comprising in combination a cabinet, a cooling -unit therein, v

means associated with the cooling unit for holding a rece tacle of material to-be frozen, means carried y the cooling unit for holding from said receptacle, and means for receiving yrial to be frozen, means for holding the receptacle in intimate heat exchange relation v vith the cooling means for freezing the mate rial in said receptacle and means especially constructed for holding the receptacle in inverted position in heat receiving relation to a relatively Warm medium Within the cabinet for releasing the frozen `material from the l receptacle, and means for receiving the frozen material dropped from the receptacle, Vsaid means being disposed below said receptacle a distance at least as great as the depth ofthe receptacle.

12. In a mechanical refrigerator of 'the household type the method of harvesting individual ice blocks which consists in placing a partitioned container of ice in an .inverted position in heat exchange relation With a relatively warm medium in the refrigerator to separate the ice into blocks and release the blocks, said medium being cooled by the ice l melted to release the blocks. A

13. In a mechanical refrigerator of the household type the method of harvesting inF dividual ice blocks which consists in .placing a partitioned container of ice in an inverted position in heat exchange relation with relatively Warm circulating air in the refrigerator to separate the ice into blocks and release the blocks, said circulating air being cooled bythe ice melted to release the blocks.

In testimony whereof I hereto aiiix my signature.

the receptacle in inverted position in heat i absorbing relation to relatively warm air in the cabinet to release the frozen material from the receptacle, and means in the cabinet for receiving the frozen material falling from the receptacle, said means being disposed beloW said receptacle a distance at least as great as the depth of the receptacle.

10. In a refrigerating apparatus compris-- ing in combination, a cabinet, a cooling unit therein, a receptacle for containing material to be frozen, and disposed in freezing relation toa relatively cold portion of said unit, means associated with a, relatively Warm portion of said unit for holding said tray in inn verted position to release the frozen material 

